The first (and only) time I spoke with Eugenio Chacarra was before he shortened his name. Then known as a Lopez-Chacarra, the Spaniard was an afterthought in a practice-round group that included Oklahoma State alumni Rickie Fowler, Matthew Wolff and Morgan Hoffman, who had just made news in a Golf Digest feature that touched on his life with muscular dystrophy. Fowler was the can't-miss star.
Wolff was ready to replace him. Hoffman was the man of the moment. It was a rainy, gray, flat-out ugly day at TPC Potomac, just outside our nation's capital, when we caught up for a few moments.
He was walking off the ninth green, carrying his own bag through the short game area, dressed as one would expect for someone who was competing in the NCAA Championship the next week. We discussed the course conditions, the state of his game and how he was feeling heading into a PGA Tour event. People love to glean from spreadsheets and strokes-gained tables when trying to identify a future star, but moments like these, in my experience, prove to be invaluable.
When trying to separate from peers, the makeup of the man is much more important than the makeup of the golfer. Chacarra missed the cut at the tournament formerly known as the Wells Fargo Championship, but it didn't change my takeaways from our chat. That week, Max Homa was the winner.
Cameron Young was the runner-up finisher who was still without a win. Matt Fitzpatrick tied for second without a major championship to his name. Keegan Bradley did, too, having no idea of his Ryder Cup future.
The rest of the 10 consisted of Rory McIlroy, Anirban Lahiri, Lanto Griffin, Stewart Cink and James Hahn. Do you know how much has changed since then?! Chacarra returned to the collegiate level the following week and won the NCAA Columbus Regional.
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